These two principles are also the cornerstone that allow two individuals to share a satisfying, respectful sex life.

Condom in pink packaging (Courtesy of Shutterstock)

But a disturbing new trend described in a recent article published in the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law known as “stealthing”--nonconsensual condom removal before or during sex as a sign or symbol of male dominance--threatens to destroy the normalcy of dating, or “hooking up,” as some refer to it. Swiping right on new dating apps could be a regrettable decision.

The protections afforded by condom use--preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI)--form at least part of the basis for investigating legal approaches to categorize “stealthing” as not only sexual assault, but gender-based violence.

“One can note that proponents of ‘stealthing’ root their support in an ideology of male supremacy in which violence is a man’s natural right," writes Brodsky, also a legal fellow for the National Women’s Law Center.

Brodsky chronicles her interviews with undergraduates on college campuses struggling to explain this disturbing form of sexual assault, how it violates not only their bodies but also their minds, leaving lasting emotional scars.

The men in online chat forums brag about having the right to "spread their seeds," feeling a rush when they first carry out their trickery and assault. There is even a how-to guide that is displayed in one online forum.

In her article, Brodsky writes about a doctoral student named Rebecca, a victim of stealthing, who also works as a rape crisis counselor, taking many calls from women who have been “stealthed.”

"Their stories often start the same way," she explains. “‘I’m not sure if this is rape, but…’”

The common theme, according to Rebecca, is that the women all felt violated, but just could not pinpoint exactly what had transpired.

Brodsky’s research reveals that women describe “stealthing” as a “threat to their bodily agency and a dignitary harm,” in the most simple terms.

In January of 2016, a court in Switzerland convicted a man of rape for removing his condom without the consent of his partner while having sex. The rationale is that the woman would not have consented to have sex if she understood ahead of time that the man would remove his condom.

Current laws against rape and gender-based violence will be a test for legal challenges by stealthing victims in the U.S. To date, none of the women that were in Brosdky’s study have filed cases against their perpetrators, but the basis for pursuing justice is certainly sound.

There are a multitude of reasons why victims of rape don’t report the crime, ranging from shame and embarrassment to fear of retaliation by the perpetrator, as well as doubt from police and attorneys as to their credibility. Reporting sexual assaults does not always result in prosecution, let alone conviction.

Yet these are the very reasons that stealthing victims need laws on the books to serve as a deterrent, but also a way to recover monetary damages should an assault occur.